Creating a Film in a Commerce Driven Industry

Brian Jun graduated from Webster University in 2001. He's made critically acclaimed
movies and is now working on his latest film, but instead of going through the studio
system, he's taking funding into his own hands.

ST. LOUIS, March 31, 2014 - One filmmaker alone usually does not have the resources
to penetrate a wide audience in a highly competitive industry. As the market changes,
it becomes harder for independent filmmakers to gain visibility and attention because
of larger studio films. However, independent directors such as Brian Jun are driven
to create compelling stories for feature films despite the challenges.

Jun graduated from Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Production in
2001. He has always had an interest in film but during his time at Webster, he was
able to build on his talents as a filmmaker, develop relationships and become more
disciplined. Because of that, Jun is an advocate for film education.

“Film education is an essential tool needed that will showcase your strengths and
weaknesses,” Jun said. “Webster aided my skills and developed my focus on becoming
a filmmaker and director.”

After graduation, Jun worked as a writer and director, and quickly began receiving
industry accolades. He was nominated for the Grand Prize Jury Award at the Sundance
Film Festival in 2006 for his film “Steel City” which featured Raymond Barry and America
Ferrera. He went on to receive the Sundance Channel Emerging Director Award at the
2006 St. Louis International Film Festival for the nominated film.

Jun is currently working on his first crowd-funded feature film, “In the Buck,” a
provocative story about sex, love and fertility.

“It is so difficult to get a film made that I wanted to challenge myself to create
a story dealing with sensitive topics, such as sexuality,” Jun said. “The plot has
been evolving for several years and grown organically based on my personal experiences,
and interviews with women who have been involved in the fertility process.”

His first few films were all artistically successful and well-received at film festivals,
but they were not commercial hits. This left him with a challenge when he started
working on “In the Buck,” which has a lower budget than his previous projects. To
help raise the funds necessary, he turned to crowd-funding and signed up with Kickstarter,
a platform and resource for filmmakers, musicians, artists, and designers, with a
pledged goal of $75,000. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing — projects must
reach their funding goals to receive any money.

“Crowd-funding is not an exact science. It is unpredictable and fun, with an element
of excitement,” Jun said. “When I realized my goal was too high on Kickstarter, I
moved the campaign to Indiegogo which has flexible funding.This enables me to use
any portion of funds raised with a reduced goal of $30,000."

Film festivals are an avenue for independent films to create a vehicle of references
and relationships to gain awareness for their work. Jun shares an array of positive experiences growing as a director in
St. Louis and surrounding cities. “St. Louis is a great place to start for a student
out of college. It's the right market to gain proper experience and attracts some
commercial work,” Jun said. “I have done most of my production in Alton, Ill. that
has allowed me to use all my skill sets and resources to set me apart from the competition.
You have to be open-minded to different opportunities and creative avenues. Filmmaking
is collaborative, so one doesn't necessarily have to become a Director."

“’In the Buck" is a bold movie that will never have the chance at being made without
the support or help from St. Louis and the Alton, Ill. community. I am a big advocate
for Midwest filmmaking and we have to keep it alive!”

Jun has created a Casting Challenge for the film that is free and open to the public
with paid expenses and a speaking role in the film. For more the challenge and feature
film “In the Buck,” visit the Indiegogo page.